Tracer

September 2016

September 28, 2016

The other day I was in a client's store when an older gentleman, helped by a younger woman, walked in. The associate went over to greet them, and then asked if she could help them.

He responded, "Just looking." Then he burst out laughing, because he was blind. The young woman, who was his aide, told me later that he loved to do that. There's not much I haven't seen in retail, but that was a new one. It was awesome.It got me thinking. If even a blind person will say he's just looking, people clearly don't always mean what they say. "Just looking" can actually mean many things.

"I have an interest in your store, but first I need some space to check it out."

"I may or may not be looking for something, but I haven't gotten comfortable enough to discuss it."

It's a natural response to an associate asking the customer if they need help. It is said without thought.

I've walked into a store wanting help and said it. It's just what you say when someone asks, "How may I help you?"

In the above example, I know that associate knows better than to ask how she can help a potential customer. I think the man being blind threw her off.

If she had said, "Welcome to XYZ. Is this your first time in the store, or have you been her before?" the customer wouldn't have responded with "just looking." Then again, he would have not gotten such a good laugh from all of us.

Here's my challenge for you.

How many customers in a row can you engage without them saying, "Just looking?" I guarantee that the higher the number, the better each customer's experience will be, and the more you will sell.

By the way, if they still say, "Just looking" all you need to do is give them a few minutes, and then reengage them.

So let me ask, how many customers can you engaging without them saying, “Just looking.”

Into action

Have a challenge today among your colleagues on who can have the longest streak of customers not say, "Just looking."

September 22, 2016

Last year I set out with a goal to eat better, get more exercise, and lose weight. I was really happy with how much I lost in the first four weeks, but then the dreaded plateau set in. As frustrating as it is, I learned that plateaus and dips are a natural part of losing weight.

Plateaus and dips are also a natural part of business and individual performance. Your team is working hard to improve their results. You’re making great progress, and then BAM. It stops. The dreaded plateau. Sometimes it’s not even a plateau, but your sales even dip.

Here are three things you can do when you, your business, and/or staff hit a performance plateau.

1. Change your routine. One reason you hit a weight loss plateau is because the body adapts to new eating and exercise routines. The changes you've made don't have as much impact as they did when you began.

The same is true with a staff. What once was new and different is now routine. Combat routine by switching things up. Change how you do Take Five (shift huddles) meetings. Focus on a different metric this week. Have a new game or competition. Do something to make this week different from last week.

2. Shift your focus to something new that will improve performance. A trainer will help you work through a plateau by making changes to your exercise program. He or she will probably target a different part of your body to focus on.

That same approach will work for you. If you've been focused on showing your customer additional items, shift the focus to reengaging customers. If you’ve been focusing on sharing more about the product, try improving getting customers in the dress room. (Or whatever is appropriate for your business.)

It doesn't mean you stop what's been helping your staff perform at a higher level. What you’re doing is adding new areas of focus to keep improving and growing your sales. You can always circle back around to whatever you were focused on.

3. Improve your accountability. Many weight loss plateaus aren't plateaus at all. They're really the result of people slowly slipping back into old eating habits. That's why I used an app to track everything I eat. Total accountability!

Your plateau could also be a sign of people slipping back into old habits. I don't know of an app for that, but I do know that having people track and/or report back on how they perform key expectations has a direct impact on results.

So let me ask, are you or your staff in a performance plateau? If so, consider applying these three tips to overcome it, or even if you simply want to jumpstart your sales and service results.

By the way, I hit the best plateau of all….my weight goal. I’m maintaining it by continuing to do these three things. They work if you do them.

-------------

About Doug Fleener

Doug Fleener, a proven business and customer service experience expert, helps companies achieve performance that exceeds customer and employee expectations resulting in more sales, profits, and customers.

Learn more about our services at Sixth Star Consulting, or call Doug at 844-861-7803 to discuss how he can help you achieve higher levels of performance and results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com. Sample a Sixth Star University online training program at SixthStarU.com.

September 16, 2016

Thank you cards are still one of the most effective, and most affordable, marketing tools you have. They stand out even more with so most marketing materials going digital.

Think about it. How many emails did you get in the last two weeks? Okay, and how many handwritten thank you cards did you get? Point made!

The fact is nothing does a better job of creating a future visit than demonstrating your appreciation for your customer’s last visit.

Unfortunately, thank you cards are also one of those activities that seem to fall off the radar when things get busy or the staff gets distracted.

Which is too bad, because every thank you card is an investment in creating a future sale. I know one retailer who believes each thank you card will create $120 in future sales. That's worth writing for!

Here are some tips for creating productive thank you cards that make a positive impact.

1. Give yourself a daily target of thank you cards to do. If you wrote just two a day and worked four days a week, you would send out 368 thank you cards over the course of a year. (I'm not including the holiday season in this count.)

If you use the thank you card value of $120, that could create $44,160 in additional annual sales. Of course, your number could be higher or lower, but any way you look at it, more thank you cards results in more sales.

2. Write legibly. The card doesn't have any value if the customer can't read your handwriting. Those with less than stellar handwriting will want to write more slowly and focus on making the card readable.

3. Put the date in the upper right hand corner. This demonstrates that you are sending the card in response to a recent purchase or visit.

4. Use the proper salutation. Keep them formal (Dear Mrs. Johnson) unless you have known the customer for a long time, and are already on first name basis with him/her.

5. Start with your appreciation. The first words of the first sentence should convey the message of the note. Thank you for... or I appreciate ...

6. Personalize each note. Don't generically thank the customer for his/her purchase or visit. Be specific about what he/she purchased, or the exact dates of when they visited.

7. Set up the next visit. Tell your customer you look forward to serving her again on her next visit. You might even reference showing her something that will go with the item she purchased. Make this brief so you don't overshadow the core message of thank you.

8. End with a second thank you. This way the start and the finish express your thanks. Thank you again....

So let me ask, how well is your store effectively using thank you cards? What will you do to increase and/or improve your customer thank you cards? Remember, each one is an investment in keeping your customers and creating future sales.

-------------

About Doug Fleener

Doug Fleener, a proven business and customer service experience expert, helps companies achieve performance that exceeds customer and employee expectations resulting in more sales, profits, and customers.

Learn more about our services at Sixth Star Consulting, or call Doug at 844-861-7803 to discuss how he can help you achieve higher levels of performance and results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com. Sample a Sixth Star University online training program at SixthStarU.com.

September 07, 2016

I once worked for a manager who gave a lot of feedback. I appreciated that since most of my managers up to then hadn't given much at all. What I didn't appreciate was that he only focused on what didn't happen or what went wrong.

I have no idea why he couldn't accentuate the positive. If you made a big sale he would point out that the paperwork wasn't done correctly.

If you scored a 98 on a mystery shop he would want to review the one item the employee missed. If you hit 104% of sales he would want to talk about what kept you from achieving 105%. You get the picture. His perspective was out of balance.

It isn't much different from the manager or owner who only focuses on the positive.

One manager who reported to me was the King of Pollyanna-land. If his store burned down he would have found a way to position it as a good thing. Needless to say, this guy didn't have much credibility with his team. His praise went in one ear and out the other.

OutFront frontline leaders keep and share a balanced perspective.

They recognize and celebrate success, and they identify and share improvement opportunities.

They know not to undermine praise with poorly timed feedback, and to not weaken critical improvement feedback with false praise.

They avoid being critical, and focus on what they want employee to do better or different. (That’s exactly what I teach in my EveryDay Coaching program.)

Keeping and sharing a balanced perspective is a key to helping employees develop and your store to succeed.

So let me ask, do you keep a balanced perspective? How balanced is it? More important, how balanced does your team think your perspective is? What should you do this week to have a more balanced and productive perspective?

Have a great week!

Doug

Reminder: I am running a new Four Week EveryDay Coach and Leader program starting September 14th. This is the perfect program for you or someone on your management team to learn how to effectively coach your staff to higher levels of performance. Details here.

-------------

About Doug Fleener

Doug Fleener, a proven business and customer service experience expert, helps companies achieve performance that exceeds customer and employee expectations resulting in more sales, profits, and customers.

Learn more about our services at Sixth Star Consulting, or call Doug at 844-861-7803 to discuss how he can help you achieve higher levels of performance and results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com. Sample a Sixth Star University online training program at SixthStarU.com.